Slime-San: SuperSlime Edition – PS4 | Review

Who would have thought you could get a 4-bit game with 16-bit sound in today’s generation, well here we are and welcome to Slime-San, the SuperSlime Edition. A pixelated Super Meat Boy clone that will have you both laughing and raging for hours.

A funky tune plays as the title page reveals itself. It shows the main protagonist, a slime called slime-san, being chased by one of the antagonists, a massive pixelated snake. You are now presented with the main menu and by the looks of it, that massive pixelated snake you were being chased by has eaten you, as you are starting from the tail end. With a cluster of things that are happening on this page, you have lots of different selections to choose from and to do. Firstly, you have the level select. It lays out all the levels that are available to you, with levels completed and ones yet to be conquered.

Down the left-hand side of the main menu, you have an option to go shopping. When selected, you are taken into the world of Slime-san. Here there are many places to visit which include banks, shops and a few adventurous places like the dojo. The dojo lets you learn the basics and once you feel competent, you can take on the challenges for extra credibility. There is also an arcade which lets you play actual games. Now, these are your old-time classics but given different names like ‘Gloomy’ which is very much like Doom and ‘Krazy Kartz’ which is very much like old school Mario Kart. This will keep you entertained and put you in a different frame of mind away from the main game. You can also take the bus to other areas, with different shops available for you to enter and interact with. I mean if you get really stuck on a level, find Jar the Frog, and he will let you skip a level, for a price.

The last option leads on to the extras. Extras has a few things to select. You have ‘New Game+’, which keeps your character and starts a fresh new game. ‘Tutorial level’, which covers off pretty much what the first few levels ask you to do. ‘Random level’, which picks a random level that you have completed to have a bit of replay value and finally, ‘Test Room’, which lets you slime, splat and squidge across floors and walls. Lots to keep you distracted, including the option to explore the family neighbourhood and home. Visiting the family home was quite comical. Seeing my mum, brothers and my grandpa, they all had nice things to say about me and my journey. The Neighbours were okay to talk to as well. A big slime and a jelly slime were the highlights of that adventure.

So the whole mechanic of the game is to jump and slime your way across a pixelated level. These are quick and sometimes very technical to do. Going into this game having played Super Meat Boy, I thought this would be a knockoff version, but in fact, it has its own very good spin. Not only do you slime, you can dash and go invisible to pass through obstacles. With different challenges you face, the more skilled you become until you hit a level that frustrates you to kingdom come and back. If you finish a section of the level quick enough, the acid levels rise and wipes out your slime (RIP Slime-san). However, if you can smash it out the park and beat the time that is set out for you, you will be awarded a trophy. The times set at first are ridiculously difficult. I tried for hours to get just one and fells short by seconds, which again, is hugely frustrating. After finishing a level, you are shown your results on how you did. It details your jumps, dashes, deaths, morph time and super jumps, which also gives you the options to move on to the next level or back to the main menu.

The levels are also hiding a currency for you to collect, apples. These seem to be the best and only way to purchase new things like character skins and abilities, backdrop art and other ways to view the game (filters). As I played through the game, I really didn’t concentrate so much on collecting apples, as I was only really interested in playing the levels. I see it more of an attachment to the main game and nothing more, just like any game, you achieve a milestone in a game, you are rewarded with a special achievement that modifies your experience.

Final Thoughts

Slime-San SuperSlime Edition is a fun puzzler, with retro graphics and sounds, that would bring nostalgia to the eyes of any gamer that plays it. However, what it brings in arcade experience, is a frustrating amount of repetitiveness. I get the game is challenging, but sometimes it surpasses the challenge and makes it more of a ‘put the controller down and walk away’ moment. If you love Super Meat Boy, you will really enjoy Slime-san. If you want to have a game that is completely different to your current label, possibly you will play this game. If you want to avoid getting frustrated watching your slime dissolve in acid cos you cant get the timing right, avoid this. All-in-all a good game, but nothing special.